An Untold Mythology
by Miko-chan
Summary: She is the diety of light, the destined bride of Bathala. A powerful being entitled Liwanag. Yet all of this changes when she gazed at a pair of dark enigmatic eyes.
1. Chapter 1

**An Untold Mythology  
**by **Miko-chan **  
Co-written by **Imouto-chan**(the one who messes the plot.)  
Beta-ed by **Enerirenie** (Arigatou!)

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

* * *

_Once, there was a universe where the existence of breath was as old as time. It was filled with the impenetrable mist, hiding the luminosity of the stars. Beneath this fog lies the first creatures who roamed the vague place, the wanderlust immortals who drifted upon the stillness. _

_The high hierarchy of heavens, or the __**Holy Alapaap**__ was where all the angels and deities resided. It was a place where the ground under their covered feet was soft with precipitates of white and enclosed with endless cream walls. This realm was the embodiment of peace and power. _

_But one of the immortals had resented the everlasting time of eternal tranquility. The charmer of slithering creatures brought forth hunger, sickness, pain and desperation over the _Alapaap_. Outraged, the deities threw the serpent out of the covetous place. The pestilent immortal hissed in anger and brought forth a new world filled with blazing fire. Thus, the place called __**Karimlan**__ was born, where creatures of the unimaginable thrived and where death was subsisted_

_Still, he was not satisfied to dwell in such a rotting place. So each world, the place above the mist and the realm beneath the haze fought a heavy war. This ensuing conflict was continued, causing too much casualties in both sides. _

_Then in the middle of this chaos, there was a land built by the pearly tears of heavenly beings and forged by the scorching flames of the cursed creatures. In these soil, creatures that are called 'man' existed. They toiled the earth and collected its rewarding fruit. They went forth and multiplied their existence. They adore the souls of life, from plants to the unending reach of the horizons. _

_Man isa being who is carrying the grace of _Alapaap.

_The hovering cursed morbidity of _Karimlan

_He was the personification of balance between these two worlds._

_These mortals worshipped the heavenly creatures with fervor_, _even though the deities were rather aloof with the overwhelming adoration. Nevertheless, the mortals were hospitable with the deities. Yet these same humans fear the traitorous demons whom they believed to be the cause of misfortune and plague with their foul presence. _

_At first, this realm, called as the __**Lupa ng Timawa**__, had no existence of true source of their light. For the ground and the sky raged with speckles of blood and life. But then, both forces of these nature were held at bay by a legendary warrior named the__**Bathala**__, or the ruler of Alapaap, the Lupa ng Timawa and the Karimlan which he governed with wisdom and fierceness. Then the earth separated the darkness and light with his command. Thus everything became tranquil, and humanity was at peace. _

_But the great Bathala has come into sleep..._

_And this initiated another wave of chaos..._

_And the subsistence of the separation of dawn and twilight was extinguished._

_In this case, it made the glorious clouds of heaven and the pits of scorching hell open to enter the world. This made both worlds to consider that the mortal realm was indeed a tempting area to take over. _

_Until the __**Goddess**__**Tsunade**__, who cushions the base of _the Lupa ng Timawa_ with her elongated golden tresses, spoke that the great god no longer lives in the midst of the light. A resolute firm deity sat on the throne as she took over the seat as the newly assigned mistress of the heavens. _

_But it was already prophesied, that the next Bathala... _

_...shall bring the balance of the three realms with his unspeakable prowess._

_This child, surprisingly, is an immortal born among the land of mortals._

_Yet they kept his true identity as a secret, for the opposing immortal ruler of hell, __**Orochimaru of the Serpent**__, has been searching for this child of man. He needed to acquire this child, and have the license to take over the ever resilient Alapaap and the coveted world of the mortals. _

_It has been foretold, that by the time when the child has already surpassed his mortality..._

_He will ascend the glorious throne..._

_And bring the wish of the existence of warm rays in the sky... _

_And the cold sheen that illuminates the dark..._

_No one knew who he is but everyone knew that he is to be trembled upon with his force._

_Whoever this child of man might be, he is the Bathala, the thin existence of universe. _

_This is the myth passed upon generations. _

_This is the myth to be fulfilled in time. _

_This is the myth that promises life… _

"And this—Ah!" A droll voice stopped in the middle of her words. "I cannot read any of this anymore!" With a heavy sigh, she added, "I guess you already know how this story goes..." The sound of an old brittle scroll rolled up was heard.

A young girl with long unbound blonde hair turned her head behind to look at another lass with shy pale face curved with short ebony strands. The blonde twitched her cheek impatiently.

"Any questions from the new priestess?"

"N-no…"

It was a queer group that walked upon the battered, crumbling road. Three women dressed in robes of pristine white satin were slowly pacing with their bare feet. The hem of these clothes reaches the tip of their fingertips and the edge of their heels, overlapped with tight bindings of rough cream thick laces to their arms and a long slit in the right side of the long robe. This exposed their unmarked legs and the anklet that bore a silver hoop.

They were the _babaylans_: mortals that can summon the deities. Blessed with the favors of heaven, their extensive rituals can eliminate the existence of pestilence caused by the beings of_Karimlan_. Highly respected, rightfully feared and educated above ordinary people.

"Good" said the eldest _babaylan_ ahead of them. They can still see the smile that was framed with the tumble of brown chocolate curls even from a distance. This particular _babaylan_ carried a commanding air in her stature, as well as with the alertness of her stance. Beneath the seemingly beautiful flow of her robes was a well-kept attachment of weapons that ranged from long blades to small poisoned needles. With a composed nod, she added with an encouraging voice, "You will make a finer priestess than her then."

"I shall appreciate it," the blonde grumbled at the smirking companion in front. "If you, Tenten," she snarled on the edge of her name. "…stop degrading me."

"Just saying the truth, Ino." replied the leader as she stopped pacing and took a chain from her neck. It carried a particularly small hourglass that held small quantities of sand, making a hushing noise as it descended to the emptier space beneath it. Then she spoke with clarity, "We must make haste."

"Then, Hinata," came the blonde's usual friendly tone. "You would not mind if you would do a summoning right now?"

"N-now...?" The color on the younger priestess cheeks became pallid. "But it has not yet re-reached over the brim yet...I-it's too early."

"Now," the blonde prompted as she took the youngest one by her arm and tried to keep up with their fellow priestess.

Uncertainly, her pale cream eyes turned to the other _babaylan_ who merely gave her the same warm smile.

"I believe, for once, that Ino is right." And her calloused hand patted the hunching shoulders of defeat and calmed the quiver in her body. The body relaxed under her touch. "You do need some hands-on for your first time."

"Bu-but, would it not disturb t-the dei-deit..."

"Hmmm." The small hourglass jangled on the taller woman's chest back and forth. Deftly, she captured it with her fingers and checked it again. "The sand has not yet reached the brim." She gazed at it critically. "Yet it shall take a long time for us to get through the shrine."

And with that statement, Hinata gave an uneasy sigh.

* * *

And heaved the breath that she had been withholding for a long time. 

It was totally hard work, but it does amuse many people.

Her olive orbs observed the angels who were frantically running everywhere. They were trying to collect the havocking **Sarimanoks**, who were the winged carrier of colors to the rainbows that shone in the sky at held festivals among the mortals. As soon as she had enough fun playing with those colorful hues, she tried to return them back to their respective cages.

But alas, in a frantic moment, Lady Shizune had again searching for her like a bloody murderer. This caused her to set loose all of the fowls, and her managing to hide herself in one of the unused chambers in heavens. She had found old clothes to change her soiled robes and managed to slip on a dress of milky satin, barely covering her shoulders with its flowing lace. It was a good thing that her petal strands reached her heels, or else it would not hide the exposed flesh of her navel.

It was not her fault, really, to wander off her lessons.

It was those darn cherubs fault! Who said that those 'tiny, cute, darling' cherubs sing in tune!

She was minding her own business, straining her hand on the calligraphy lessons. Lady Shizune managed to mutter that she would get some additional books for her lessons in Natural Laws and left out of the room in haste. As soon as her small back retreated, she slept on the scroll with delight. A cherub flew by inside and sang horribly in her ears in hoping that little squirt will amuse her boredom. Instead, she stood up abruptly and tripped upon the table. It upset the inkbottle, spilled all over the table and the cherub shrieked when its small face was smeared with ink.

Finally straining over the pressure, she ran towards the cages that she kept on her room, brought forth her 'secret weapons' accumulated from her trips to the mortal world and pestered everyone.

She should thank Naruto for that.

And yes, even her mentor. At first, that white-haired idiot gave her a stern warning not to hold any creatures from the forbidden garden. But as soon as her hand tossed the only distracting scroll to divert his attention, she grabbed the keys as quickly as he snatched that porn scroll.

_No, wait, Naruto provided that scroll..._

Another grateful sigh escaped out of her lips. _Bless the humanity._

Looking at the large hourglass adorning the wall, she saw that they should be calling right now...

After all, she wants to answer some prayers again after having so much fun last time.

One heavenly being can go out through the gates to the _Lupa ng Timawa_ if you had the permission from her mother. But since that her mother (more of her frantic supervisor actually...) will not allow her to venture without any companion nor with her will alone, she had assigned _babaylans_ to be able to open another conical gate towards their world. It was done by over fifty complicated seals, which she had memorized from a certain large scroll.

At first, Lady Shizune was going ballistic at this dumbfounding action. But thankfully, Kakashi had announced that it was a very long kept secret that he had been escaping Sakura to the mortal world, and she had found few interesting people that might aid her to become a proper bride.

Yes, she was the promised bride of _Bathala_. The deity of light.

She can hear voices of pleads, cries of help and sincere felt request beneath her feet as the sudden rush of the worlds brought her to the land filled with the coarse touch of grass.

Over the arranged towering blocks of boulders, she can see their expecting eyes and open lips...

"Lady_Liwanag_!"

"The deity of light!"

"Holy are the _Babaylans_...!"

A soft smile grazed her lips, her skin illuminating the slight gloom of the cloudy horizon.

"Thanks for saving me, Tenten." The cherry-haired deity exchanged a smile for the frown she received from the tanned face of her eldest priestess.

"You idiot." The older woman whispered as well, behind her the two younger priestesses extinguished the small flame they ignited earlier upon the makeshift altar. "It was a good thing that these people were already clamoring for you while on the way."

"Your sense of right timing never fails." And she curtsied, sweeping about the elongated satin robes that blew slightly with the warm wind that she always brings. "Shall we go?"

"I already dread to see Lady Shizune when I die." Her guardian merely replied dryly.

"Lady_Karunungan_!" A bawling ink-smeared feathered being whizzed to a dark black haired woman as it paced through the soft ground rather swiftly. "Lady_Liwanag_ has done a terrible, terrible—"

"OUT OF MY WAY!" She bustled at the cowering cherub and her aura flared that made every winged creature breath with fear.

As soon as she reached humongous doors at the edge of heaven, she pushed them with one hand and stormed over the table. Black eyes gave a twitch as she saw that the current ruler of heavens snoring upon the soft table in front of her desk. The sparkling scrolls carried traces of drool on them.

Like mother, like daughter. She thought ironically.

"Lady TSUNADE!"

"Ngerk...Eh?" The supposed to be majestic queen of the heavens was roused, her pale hand wiping the smear on her lips.

The**Karunungan**, Shizune, was the respectful deity of wisdom. Shizune was very responsible and trustworthy to everything. The right-hand deity have single-handedly taught the deity of light with high intellectual capabilities and helped her in innumerable desperate moments. She trusted this woman with all her life... even the upbringing of her daughter.

But sometimes, Shizune can be VERY bothering.

Especially in the midst of a WELL-DESERVED break.

"What is it?" The goddess droned tiredly.

"Your daughter," Her ebony head perked some nerves. "has escaped to the _Lupa ng Timawa_ AGAIN!"

"Then send _The Thunder _to return her." The goddess merely spoke absentmindedly, drifting again to sleep almost immediately.

"That USELESS **Kidlat**," Another tweak of her bulging nerves was reached beneath the black mop of her hair. "...is READING his PORNO scrolls AGAIN!"

"Ah?" The goddess merely squirmed and shifted from her half-awake state. "You are the deity of wisdom. Surely, you can THINK of something."

"Laady Tsunaadeee..." One of the most well regarded deities went down on her knees. There were already tears of frustration streaming her face. "She needs to come BACK! There are still more lessons for her to do, like her fine etiquette, and that bookstand she messed up, not to mention all the scrolls in her room, the quills—sending all these stupid angels into riot!"

"Oh."

Then the sleepy disposition that hovered over the goddess vanished. Instead, the authoritative aura that she exudes returned and she sat rigid upon her glorious chair. With the majestic raise of her hands, she clapped.

In an instant, a man with silvery mop of hair and dark gray articles of clothing that almost tightly covered the whole of his body appeared in a flash of light. One exposed black eye still scanned the contents of a newly written scroll which got the whole of his attention.

"Yo!"

"Kakashi."

Unmistakably, the serious tone in the goddess voice made the man listen attentively and lower his delectable reading material.

"Bring back Sakura." The goddess spoke with a sigh. Behind, the deity of wisdom nodded vigorously to emphasize the need. "She can't fool around yet until she finishes her lessons before this day ends."

A golden eyebrow rose and there was a grim line on her face as _Kidlat_ waited for another command.

"And keep that dirty scroll away from me before I throw that into the doomed flames!"

In a poof, the man disappeared rather quickly.

With a breath of relief, the _Karunungan_ turned to the goddess in gratitude.

Then she finally noticed that she was again alone with a sleeping, seemingly drunk woman.

"Lady TSUNADE!"

* * *

A wail of despair echoed. 

Followed with a bloodcurdling scream.

A cackle of pure horrid laughter.

The putrid smell of decay.

A very common thing.

This is hell after all.

In the place of _Karimlan_, the chamber that leads to the wilting throne of the ruler of death was towards a tunnel of complete darkness. No spark of fire alighted the path, neither no efreet or demon ever survived through this blinding abyss.

Except the right-hand demon of craftiness, which was him...

The blood of the betraying immortal, Lord Orochimaru...

The one who created this path itself, the one who had pleased the morbid fascinations of hell...

A name unspoken and forbidden to speak of.

Soon enough, in the end of this endless darkness was the torch that alights the entrance of crimson.

The ruler of the _Karimlan_, with his pale whitish skin and amber slits glared at him piercingly.

"Lord Orochimaru." He breathed, the cold mist forming from his mouth due to the low temperature of the spiked room. "The search for_Bathala_ is commencing."

"So it is." A hiss. "It has already been two decades." The face twisted in glee. "Eighteen years, is it not, Kabuto?."

The addressee chose to remain silent.

A malevolent smirk grazed his colorless lips.

"Then we can start." He rose from the seat of thorns, and a roar from the vast distance mingled with the screams. The pits were opening.

"Yes." The eyes flashed in agreement. "Starting with the child of light."

"Heh." The tall king swerved his heavy cloak, sneering as he inclined his head. "That damn bitch shall finally know what it takes to become the _Ruler of the Three Realms_."

"What if..." Here, Kabuto does not usually voice out opinions. But he was weighing the chances of failure, and he would not like the disappointment that would be gained if they did not take a good look on the circumstances.

"What if he refused?"

The infamous serpent merely confidently answered. "He will accept it..." then he gave a mirthless chortle, "it will fascinate him immensely..."

And Kabuto merely hoped that he was right.

* * *

_For as of this moment, dark eyes flickered as he stepped upon the rough sands of the holy ground._

_With a leering grin, he gazed the fragile deity at afar._

_Finally, something to amuse him._

* * *

**Few Notes:**

This is for those people who believed this is worthy of reading (and urged me to post), most especially Ate Mel, Ate Syao, fascinatrix-chan and Aki-chan. This is also for those who supported me always, Ate Apple and Mendori-chan. And yes, for thoseFilipinos...I just cannot forget you.

Thanks for Ate Reen. Since I wouldn't have known how to infuse these culture with Naruto.

I'll do my very best to satisfy my friends who expected something out of this, as this is my last multi-chaptered fic that I'll be making.

Thanks for reading! Comments and suggestions welcome.

REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2: Act I

**Chapter II**

**Act I**

* * *

There was only one thing to describe this... 

_Heavenly._

_A relieved sigh escaped her firm lips._

In the massive _Alapaap_, there was no existence of flora, no entertainment except watching the clouds float by, no humorous people to have witty conversations with (except Kakashi, perhaps)

And especially NO hot springs that are nice enough to bathe in.

That (_supposed-to-be_) promised place of milk and honey cannot give even one nice bathing area. Typically, when she asks for cleansing, only a sole clay water jug being held by a blindfolded angel would shower a piercing downpour of ice-cold water on her usually flushed skin.

Not to mention that it was a totally big, boring place that are only filled with drifting clouds and endless numbers of mazes that never change.

The scrunched expression on her face for that passing thought gave away the fact that the deity was still sore about the earlier incident with the cherubs.

_Horrible._

The tresses that created elongated pink trails along the surface of the water were gathered unceremoniously as she tossed her head to shake off the excess water.

_I swear, one more ear-deafening note_, _and I will personally rip their wings off!_

As her tensed muscles unknotted along with the calm currents of the languid water, her eyes drifted over the small precipice where the tepid fluid fell. She could see the soft mist that floated around the sulfur-scented area, numbing her senses and only attuning them to the sweet sensation of relief.

This splendid spring was a holy place for mortals. Found in the inner recesses of volcanic rainforests and quite a steep cliff away from the village of the Leaf. It was a marginalized area that was only inhabited by uncultivated critters of the wild. Yet, the place was forbidden for them to come without any permission from, lest they wanted to be buried six feet under the ground.

Most especially _now_...

Besides her _babaylans_, no matter how peculiar they may be, were more than capable of disarming men. The ever vivacious Ino promised that no man in this world could disturb her needed rituals while holding her robes earlier. The trustworthy Tenten, in the other hand, offered to prepare something for her to eat from the flourishing wildlife along with the newly ordained Hinata.

As she trusted them with all of her unblemished life, she gave them the responsibility to call her and descend to her shrine, even for no particular reason.

Raising her arms, she distinctly watched her skin as she saw the iridescent glow that had always covered her; indeed, she had been the personification of light. Her flesh glowed amongst heavens and the mortals which made it hard for her to cover and hide herself.

_Like the halo of a burning candle._

Those were the words Ino used to describe her skin when she had descended into the mortal world for the first time. Kakashi had been kind with her that time. He knew that she was already getting tired of studying such heavy subjects of natural laws and things that could not be comprehended by an eight year old kid.

It was a surprise that her pestering to bring her to explore the mortal world was not brushed aside from that enigmatic male mentor of hers. Instead, the white-haired _Kidlat_ even considers her every whim and breaks every single regulation in order for her to play all around with the mortals.

For the first time then, she had met Ino. The blonde girl at the age of eight insulted her forehead, much to her parent's surprise (_and horror_) when they realized who she really was. But instead of the deity's anger, she welcomed that refreshing assault as something to awaken her from the usual teachings of the heavens that they were_perfect_.

Now there were times that Sakura needed to be alone in age of thirteen, during attending some cleansing ceremonies and her presence was needed by mortals. By one particular incident, this was where she met the striking Tenten. At first, she thought that this famed warrior of the women was going to turn down her friendship. But it astonished her (_and remained a mystery why_), that she offered to be a priestess and her guardian on the mortal world. So it was no surprise that Shizune and Tenten communicated so well many times, for they were the level-headed ones in the group.

Hinata was the recent addition, since she had always seen her near this particular spring. The pale white eyes always bowed and offered help to the other two priestesses whenever the dark-haired lady would finish her tasks and chores from a certain kind noble family. They often ask why she always seems to appear near these areas and accompany them whenever they need help. It seems that she was in close relation with one of the trusted friends of the deity, blushing whenever 'Naruto' is mentioned in a conversation. But she has not yet confirmed this with the introverted girl who clamped her mouth shut whenever asked about that particular topic.

She tilted her head back, wanting to savor more of the therapeutic touch of the water. As she did so, her hair fell again past behind her back, exposing the flesh of her neck and the small diamond-shaped tattoo on her white forehead. Her mother told her that Sakura had already this on as soon as she was birthed from the earth.

A symbol of her divinity, a sign of her immortality.

A lock to freedom.

Yes, she was an extraordinary being. Trained, educated and feared--

--but still treated as an outcast of her own kind.

Sakura was disliked in the heavens, because of the status that she inherited. As the bride of that legendary promised god, there were many given privileges to her that was not given to her fellow deities. But those deities were scrutinizing her close relationship with the 'low' mortals. This was the reason that every single day she dealt with every criticism, nudging and sneers from these crowd. Most especially that she was the weakest of them.

With a stifling yawn, the young lass emerged from the waters touching up to her mid-thigh. She wanted to stand over the pour of the rivulet from the precipice to ease the process of disentangling her extensive cherry strands. With effort, she gradually waddled to the spot underneath the descending waters.

Hands running through her elongated scalp, she suddenly wished that she could have brought a coconut husk to thoroughly wash her one and only vanity. Draping herself within the warmth of the spring, her senses failed to notice the sudden decrease of twittering noise of the fowls. When she was already half-finished with her activities, she suddenly felt dark, sinking eyes upon her.

A gleam of sweat formed over her forehead. This was the first time, since she had bathed here, that there was a dangerous aura cloaking the area. Most especially that she was bare-naked in the middle of an isolated myriad of vines and trees.

Apprehensively, she whipped her head to every direction. With a pair of narrowed olive orbs, her eyes scanned the surroundings to every bit of boulder that were supposed to hide her nude body. Finding nothing, she descended from the elevated rocks and came to the welcoming waters. Yet she could not help but gaze suddenly behind her, expecting a brave pervert settling his feet upon these grounds.

With that thought alone, the _Liwanag_ had decided to end her 'should-be' luxurious bath.

With a graceful haste of her lithe body, small ripples from her thigh's movements lapped all over. The deity went to the slight curvy stream where a circular cove, found inside amidst the flow of the water and the heavy, thick mist, hid her clothes. It was always out of her sight, but nevertheless it concealed things well for the nearby palm plants hid the cave discreetly.

_Wait...!!_

Ino was supposed to be sitting _beside _the cove.

Still upon the water, she slightly leaned on the bank with her palms and gave a slight push to grab her--

--clothes?

_Her clothes were GONE!  
_  
With a terrified gaze at the empty cove, all the color of her face drained as her knees weakened to return to the waters.

_Where's that annoying piggy priestess!_ She fumed.

That woman should be guarding her and her things, of all people!

If this reaches the ears of the heavens, this would cause a lot of trouble.

It will mean another round of Shizune's frenzy lectures, her mother's cryptic (and sarcastic) comments that would make her unable to look on her smirk again and even an irritating nonchalant crease on the exposed eye of that dirty old pervert, which meant a freaky smile behind his mask and stinky scrolls.

That accursed _Thunder_... a grunting deity thought with a growl Kakashi is someone that you would mistake as a porn peddler on those merchant ships.

Well, Ino might still be around. Surely, the good-for-nothing priestess might have wandered a bit to stretch her legs.

So with a deep breath, she prepared to call that Ino-pig—

"Looking for these?"

It was a rich, dark sneer from a _masculine_ voice.

Instead of a call, she yelped and reflexively submerged herself on the water up to her chest. With arms tucked on the middle, she indignantly turned to the source of the voice at her rear.

It was a mortal.

A pretty mortal, that is.

With dark mesmerizing obsidian eyes.

Barely hidden beneath a mahogany leather vest, his bronze chest glistened with the small illumination given by the horizons and her natural radiating light. The chiseled torso were also slightly shown by the tight ragged strips of bandages, confined with a large, coarse embroiled russet colored belt.

Surely this man could be rich and educated, for it is hard to afford such rich ebony silk pants that loosely hang on his sandaled feet. His arms were also adorned with the same ragged bandages, also covering his neck, but she can still see trails of dark swirls on its edge and the luster of a large silver hoop on his right ear. And yes, with that stoic face holding her robes with his filthy, silver-ringed hands.

He was leaning over the small terrain of rocks that surrounded the spring, one hand supporting his balance on the ground with a bended knee.

"Such blasphemy." her voice turned into frost as her emerald eyes locked with his onyx ones.

The earth trembled slightly with a draft of wind brushing his dark locks over his face.

"Hn." His equally bitter eyes flashed as he seemingly contemplated if he should lower bundle to the waters. "Let me be damned," he said with a sneering smirk. "But you won't be getting your clothes dry."

A pair of widened jade eyes stared at him in shock.

"You dare..." the woman was now truly looking ferocious, her words low and edgy, "…to insult me, human?"

The young man merely raised an eyebrow with a slight twitch on his cheek.

"I admire your composure Lady Liwanag." With a mock respectful voice, he slightly outstretched the bundle of clothing, threatening to fall everything. "But you are just a helpless little pixie right now."

At that time, the deity of light snapped.

Calculating cold eyes saw candle-like hands perform seals with rapid accuracy.

The hot water began to increase...

Before the (unlucky) fellow knew it, a big wave arose from such a small spring.

Just as quickly, the waves turned into soft currents of the spring.

A small satisfied smile grazed the deity's face.

"Drown yourself, moron," she whispered beneath her raspy breath. Never mind that her clothes might be at the bottom of the rocky stream bed right now. She was not the deity of this world for nothing. A blast of cold wind can make them dry in less than a second.

So she dipped her head underwater and tried to look on the ground, swimming to the bank.

Yet there was no sign of her clothes, or of her obnoxious visitor.

With a disappointed sigh, she held her head again up the water.

Only to met his (_more_) triumphant gaze up close, with the breeze casually caressing the hanging fabric at his sides. Feet firmly standing a few meters away from the bank, his hands held her clothes securely and dry.

A convulsive shiver ran down her spine because of that disturbing, piercing stare.

"You are really interesting, Sakura."

_A mere ordinary mortal._

_...knows her name?_

"Wha...What?" she sputtered, trying to distance herself away with arms failing to cover herself entirely.

"The deity of light has been rumored to be wrathful as hell--"

Sakura gave a intense glare.

"--and beautiful as the heavens."

His face remained impassive as he laid the clothes upon the rocks in front of her, safe and unharmed.

Yet there was a flickering spark that glowered in those dark eyes.

"But it exceeded the rumors--"

A ghost of an eerie, small, smile.

"--and my expectations."

The obnoxious stranger gave a rigid half-bow and a parting, annoying glance at her body, her NAKED body, from head to the desperately crossed arms (Not to mention that the deity was blushing so hardly that she cannot distinguish the steam coming out from her and from the waters). He left silently, merging with the shadows, his enigmatic aura dissipating slowly.

His hypnotizing eyes that held no iota of any emotion was imprinted on her mind.

"Lady Liwanag!" came a scream from the other end, where the cove was supposed to be.

_Great._

Just when everything worst can happen in an empty, marginalized spring already occurred, the woman who promised to keep an eye for her well-being was absent.

"Ino!" she thundered viciously, the deity rising rapidly from the waters with a yank of her clothes. The angered features that marred the beautiful visage made the young _babaylan _confused. Most especially when the hand swiftly grabbed a course fabric and wrapped it around her drenched body. The deity strode quickly towards the cavern and scrutinized angrily left and right before entering the cove.

Peeking inside, the priestess asked carefully. "Can I ask something?"

_Snort._

"What happened when I was go--?"

"Where were you, Ino!" A fast snap interrupted her, echoing from the spacious cavern. The priestess flinched at the very unusual mood of her mistress. It was usually taking until the thirteenth turn of the hourglass before she rose from the soothing waters. What's more strange is she does not usually come out of it cranky.

"Ah." the priestess now was fishing out an excuse. She would not like the real reason. "I was...!!"

"The truth."

Oh well, it was hard to lie to a deity. At least, she tried.

"Ah, while I was guarding your precious belongings..." While Ino was trailing off, the deity gave a sound that she was listening intently a midst the sound of clothes.

Then Ino gave a smile that told of a stricken woman. "I saw a HUNK over the south side beyond the borders of these boulders! He looked like one of those famed warriors from some of those legends! Delicious dark eyes, flawless ivory skin, that shiny black hair falling so softly...!" The priestess was squeaking as she relentlessly relayed this information.

"Ino?"

"Yes? Ah, of course. I ran towards him to stop that gorgeous guy going here. Funny... he disappeared as soon as I got to the spot." The priestess gushed on excitedly. "So I have to look for him, to make sure."

"Ino." Again the deity's voice echoed sternly. "You are a _babaylan_. A **priestess**." She stressed, grating upon the word. "One of your qualities must be CHASTE." She emphasized the last word with an angry sound.

"Oh, come on!" Now, the blonde's demeanor changed from her nearly squealing look to an affronted frown. "Do not ruin my mood." Her scolding tone was carried through the darkness of the cove, enough to emphasize her annoyance. "It does not mean I am going to be a prude and not appreciate good-looking men!" She huffed with arms crossed on the entrance of the cave.

Really, this deity might be pretty intelligent yet when it comes to attraction, she was downright dense as Naruto.

Maybe it's got to do something with being engaged.

Suddenly two white blurs created a spray of warm water beside her.

"You two!" The blond priestess admonished as she glanced at the ragged appearances of her companions. "Took you long enough!" Noting that they were breathing rather roughly, she inquired "What happened to both of you?"

"It's nice that you're here, Ino." The auburn eyes softened and her tense posture relaxed. Then she turned to the gasping younger priestess. "Were you really sure about it, Hinata?"

"I-I am sure, Miss Tenten." She nodded with firmness. "I heard a rush of water, like a wave." Judging the way she seems to be steadfast with her words, Tenten steeled herself for more. "_Lady Liwanag_ seems to be in trouble earlier."

"Hinata, thank you for your concern."

The deity came out of the cavern wearing the usual clothes that she uses in _Alapaap_. The off-shoulder robes that she borrowed from the heavens earlier was now bundled with care and kept carefully. Her twinkling jade orbs now met the opulent ones in deepest sincerity.

"Call me Sakura, Please?"

"B-But the ru-rules say that im-immortals must be called--"

"With their title?" the deity gave a wry smile as she completely emerged herself from the darkness of the cove and into the welcoming green grass. Taking out the beaded sandals, she slipped on her adorned feet upon the sandals and wiggled her toes in delight.

"I think it's more comfortable to say Sakura, don't you think?" She added as she placed the dangling semi-precious stoned beaded coronet on her forehead.

"…"

"Tenten always calls me _'Lady Liwanag'_ and I think I hear that with almost _everyone._" Her voice carried the dullness of such action, yet a green orb winked at her jovially. "I promise that you won't be put to death mentioning a more comfortable name."

The shy priestess gazed at the deity with wavering eyes. The rosette-haired woman now fixed the transparent chiffon that covered her neck, white shoulders and her peachy arms as she also tried to untangle the messy rose strands tumbling from her face. She stood there, the deity of light accessorized of golden tribal, circular bracelets reaching her elbows, three or four anklets also has that amorous luster on the ivory long legs.

She is such a young goddess that is so unearthly beautiful.

But she was different from the other deities she had met. Immortals would normally ignore the mortals unless they were pleased with the offered sacrifices that humans toiled for.

Yet, this high-positioned heavenly divinity wanted to be with them.

_To be among them.  
_  
"I-If you wi-wish, Miss Sakura."

"That's better!" Her head now rose to beam at the youngest priestess. "And you were right!"

"P-Pardon me?" Hinata blinked while the two priestesses looked curiously at the feral smile on the deity's lips.

"Ino, that man that you just chased to ravage--"

The glowering lady, who was smiling so serenely earlier, rounded her attention at the sweat-dropping blonde priestess. The deity's hands now placed themselves at the sides of her waist firmly.

"--is an arrogant pervert!"

"WHAT!" The look of horror and mouth agape expression that made those blonde tresses stand upright.

"_Lady Liwanag_?" came the oldest priestess to grab the hands of the deity quickly. "Are you alright!"

The panicked _babaylan_ gazed at the deity with any signs of wounds or scratches, which was a futile action for someone like the deity.

When she was finally assured that Sakura was really fine, the older priestess began rambling. "That is impossible! Where did he go? How come that a _man_--?" and just as suddenly, the realization dawned upon her at that moment.

The_babaylan_ brandished a long knife that she sheathed from her upper arm on her left. It's tip was pointed at yelping woman, and dark brown eyes glared at turquoise ones.

"And where were you when that happened, Ino!"

"Ah, Miss Tenten!" Hinata placed a placating hand on the tense shoulders of the eldest priestess. "It was not Miss Ino's fault."

Sakura smiled indulgently. She was right to include Hinata, for she seems to be the type who can pacify any murderous thoughts that could cross Tenten's mind, especially when sometimes the two of them can act irrationally when furious.

"It's alright, Tenten." Sakura now reached for the hand that gripped the blonde tightly. Then she turned to the pale-eyed priestess. "That will be your job, to make sure these two will not kill themselves."

The sweet face framed from those dark curls gave a terrified squeak.

But still, Ino was someone who was not fazed even in the threshold of death.

"Are you sure he is a pervert, forehead girl?" A flabbergasted Ino made her way from the tangle of limbs made by the surprised older priestess. "I mean, any man, most especially the likes of THAT, would be turned off by your flat chest!"

No more than less a second, Ino found herself coughing with water.

"I-I'm drenched, Sakura!" the blonde priestess argued with a deity that twirled one of her long rose curls behind her pierced ears.

"A male idiot walks upon here."

The deity's voice grew strength as she continued speaking.

"Then he takes my clothes."

She continued as she gave a menacing step to Ino, who cowered slightly.

"The he insults me"

Another step and she stopped twirling her strands to place her hands to her hips.

"And finally stares at me _naked_ for all those time you were gone."

Then as soon as Ino was an inch away from falling off the rock and finally submerging herself in the waters, Sakura exclaimed with a homicidal glare.

"Tell me, isn't that what one could call a _pervert_!"

"Fine. Okay. I stand corrected." The blonde _babaylan_ waved her arms wildly in resignation as she sidestepped a little, making Sakura step a minute forward.

An eyebrow rose in to her spacious forehead as if to prove her point.

"So what did you do?" The defeated priestess retorted.

The deity blinked and was taken aback

"Stare, take cover and then turn yourself maroon with modesty?"

Sakura took a sharp inhalation of breath.

."She did." The eldest priestess rolled her eyes as she swiftly returned the knife and paced to descend to the soft ground where it leads to the exit of this small terrain.

"B-But I th-think Miss Sakura d-did a water spell." Hinata spoke in a small voice. "T-That might be the splash I heard earlier..."

"But one man is not hard to drown." Ino gave a haughty smirk. "So he said something?"

"Wha-What?"

"He said you were cute or what?"It was another surprising rapid question from that cunning Ino, bombarding Sakura's mind.

She stood still on the spot with her mouth slightly agape. Her hands were tightly fiddling with the bundle.

"Well?" Ino asked with a smirk on her face. Sakura just hates how that blonde seem to be ahead of her.

"That lecherous man told me I look like hell when angry!" she spat in fury, wanting to stop that pig from looking at her indulgently.

It did stop them from that curious looks they were giving her, yet Ino and Tenten merely walked nonchalantly, quipping "true" beneath their breaths.

"Is that all?"

"--and." but then Sakura's voice faltered.

She can't. She cannot even say those words.  
_  
Beautiful as the heavens.  
_  
"And...?" Now, Hinata was giving an interested look.

Those two women can be a bad influence to such an innocent girl.

_But it exceeded the rumors.  
_  
"Oh, forget it." The deity gathered the long fabric and paced quickly, passing ahead of the two to hide her flaming face. "It's nothing."

"Nothing ever makes Sakura glow that red." Ino crooned.

Now, she could not even think of those words...

"You have to tell what happened there, Sakura." Tenten gave a worried glance.

_And my expectations._

"Some other time, alright?" She responded instead._  
_  
"F-Forgive me, My Lady." Hinata followed. "But it does looks interesting."

_--really interesting, Sakura.  
_  
And she merely squashed the grass more forcefully with her foot.

* * *

"Good Morning." said a young man, whose hands were preoccupied with eating a hot, toasty bun, to a certain landowner. "Is he sleeping?" 

"Oh, Chouji." The tenant gave a cautious smile, with a finger slightly rubbing his scar indented nose. "Yes, he's just sleeping inside. You can come."

As soon as the kind Iruka gave consent, the bulging young man of eighteen untied the sandals that bounded his feet.

"Oi, Shikamaru."

There was a nudge on his side, which he tried to ignore with all his might. He knew that his companion will give up if he gave a groan and tell him to just wake him up after a minute. But the nudging became a little insistent, and an exasperated sigh made him give up and sat on the rough, handmade rattan cot.

And he opened one obsidian eye, "Chouji?"

"Sorry." The image of his friend was blurred and out of focus. "But the Holy Babaylan calls for you." and his hearing did not miss the cynical note in saying that title.

"What does that loud-mouthed woman want?" Finally he sat up from the mattress and cracked the slumbering muscles and bones with a scratch and a satisfying yawn.

"I heard that she was searching for you," the horizontally-challenged man supplied as the drooping face slowly made its way to the arranged brown clay jars. "She has pestered almost everyone until she finally declared she'll be going here." His mandarin head shook exhaustedly. "I'm really sorry. But you know how can she be—"

"A pain in the ass, yeah," Shikamaru cut in, as his hands scooped the cooling liquid and splashed some of it on his face.

"You could always get out of her clutches." The free man told the poor slave. "Pay all the necessary wages and be free from all the deities and priestesses that hover over you."

"Nah. It's troublesome." The relaxed slave simply yawned as his grubby hand swept the sand from his tiny eyeholes. "It means I have to be an ordinary mortal, do farming and keep food on the table." He grabbed a tepid rag and wiped the excess water from his face.

"I guess." The stout young man on the floor rose as well.

"Both of you," The landlord gave a loud cry somewhere outside the wooden house "...tell me when Naruto is coming back."

And one of his lazy lodgers gave a indistinguishable snort. "Later."

As soon as Shikamaru walked out and descend from the bamboo stairs, a draft of a warm wind whipped his face. The horizon was a little bit lighter shade of gray.

"Lady_Liwanag_ is here? Again?" The slave gave a wry raise of an eyebrow.

"That is why Ino requested me to get you."

But both of them knew that this naturally meant that he was forcefully coerced, blackmailed and tortured by the vibrant priestess. "She was busy in burning the things that the Lady _Liwanag_ used in cleansing yesterday."

"Yesterday?" The slave gave a snort.

"I was wondering." Chouji spoke hesitantly, "Why Lord _Kidlat_ does not see Lady _Liwanag_ easily. She has a very radiant skin and can be spotted even a mile away."

"Don't ask me about them." he replied blandly. "Understanding complex divine eccentricity makes my head throb."

"But it was odd, too," Chouji mused, walking along the small hill with little difficulty. "Lady _Liwanag_ finished rather quickly than usual."

"Her bath?" Shikamaru now raised both eyebrows. "Now, that's more questionable."

It usually takes about an ungodly hour before the deity of light will finally come out into her senses to rise from the springs. "So, that blonde woman needs me?" He brought up a hand to cup his chin. "Information, I suppose?"

"Naturally." Chouji now stopped in front of a small, secluded fence. Above it, a small hut was surrounded with a number of homegrown flowers. The smell of the blossoming jasmine flowers from the surrounding area floated, marking the residence of a particular woman. "Searching for someone, I think."

The circular tattooed cheeks, a mark of status for a free man, twitched in annoyance. "What could be--" He stopped, as he saw the confident smirk on the slave's face.

"Someone got the audacity to peek on Lady _Liwanag_." Shikamaru gave a breath of boredom as he hopped over the low fence.

"WHAT?" Eyes bulged in Chouji's sockets. He accepted the offered hand on the other side of the wooden border. "That is punishable by death, right?"

"Lady_Liwanag_ usually does not return from the springs here on the clearings before three days." the slave drawled as he pulled his companion. After Chouji settled firmly on his feet, he put his hands on the side pockets of his skirt. "And the deity is not really frequently going to the mortals these days."

"Well." Chouji scratched his head as he clambered up the small hill, "It's not Naruto, I hope."

"Nah." Shikamaru waved a dismissed hand. "He returns today from the mountains after the thirteenth turn of the hourglass." With a look of complete aloofness, he brushed his bare feet to the soil slowly, dragging them rather languidly. "Besides, he does not even stoop low, even if he goes with that pervert hermit."

"It could be the hermit." Chouji supplied. "That man could have done it." With a thoughtful rub of his hand to his chin, he gazed at the slave with a grim face. "But there's another one."

"And he's the less likely." Shikamaru nodded. "So far, that hermit is the most probable sus—"

"Late, lazy and lousy, Shikamaru!" hollered a blonde woman emerging from the open door and descending noisily on the creaking bamboo stairs. Her turquoise eyes furiously scrutinizing his seemingly languid state, hissing some rude remarks under her breath.

"You should have been here earlier! You know that this house needs to be guarded for three consecutive days!" The breeze whipped her amber tresses wildly, and her pale arms were now forcing them to be enraptured within her reach and secure them into a solid, single bun on the crown of her head. She came face to face with Shikamaru, her face scrunched in a dangerous scowl. "It is a good thing for you that priestesses are NOT allowed to mistreat the slaves of the deities or I could have—"

The said slave, as usual, ignored the threats.

_Troublesome women._

_"Ino, if you called to rant on me, at least state who is the guy you are looking for."_

"Huh?" The babaylan was dumbfounded in the middle of castrating his head to the deity of wind. It has always been a surprise to her how would this amazing (grunt) slave would know exactly what the dilemma is and already prepared with a ready answer even before saying the problem to his face. Even though he was a slave, his status was already deemed to be higher than kings and captains due to his intellect. It has been said that he might have been blessed with the prowess of_Karunungan_ herself.

Furrowing her golden eye brows, she paused to think.

"Alright." She placed one careful finger to her cheek and seemed to knot her golden brows to gather the right words.

Honestly, for Shikamaru, he prefer this loud-mouth better if she kept her lips closed for a while.

Especially_that _way.

But that short seconds of silence was cut short when she suddenly gushed and started swinging like a giddy child.

"About as tall as those sturdy timbers of the forest, as lean as the bamboos, as mysterious as the darkest caves--"

_Oh no..._ Shikamaru groaned. He could swear that the priestess was swooning.

"--dark granite eyes, gorgeous black hair. Why, he looks like the rumored_mandirigma_!" Ino prompted with an infectious, sappy smile. "But it can't be him, you know."

"He was wearing dark clothes, expensive ones?" Chouji supplied in a doubtful voice.

"Oh yes, how did you know?" Another surprise! Was Chouji becoming insightful too?

"And he will have that jackass attitude," Shikamaru confirmed with a forlorn sigh. "Where is Lady Liwanag?"

"In town." the priestess answered without batting an eyelash. "With Tenten and Hinata."

Shikamaru smacked a hand to his knotted forehead,

This is _really_ troublesome.

* * *

**Few Notes:**  
Sorry for the very loooong thoughts. I hope I did not bore you to death. I found your reviews amusing as you seem to like Kakashi. (Nyehehe, Is it because of the porno scroll?) Anyway, this is only the Act 1 of Chapter 2. We cut this short since the chapters were too long. 

I would like to thank you for reading, even though you did not review. (since my sister does that ALL the time. So authors here in you are appreciated) But again, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions and just want to annoy me, I will be glad to entertain you.

**(Redited)**_**  
**_**  
**


	3. Chapter 2: Act II

**Chapter 2**

**Act II**

* * *

The eldest of the holy servants sighed and inquired the deity, who watched her toes peeping out the trail of satin. "Have you escaped your lessons again?"

Silence prevailed for a moment as they continued to tread on the withering road towards a distant bustling place beyond their sight. After the incident in the springs, she immediately proceeded to answer the intercessions of the mortals, whose requests were already delayed. 

The clinking of the golden gingers inside her voluminous sleeves were the only things that disturbed the tension around them. Suddenly, their footsteps stopped as the wind blew comfortably underneath the withering, aging tree.

"Hinata?"

"Ye-Yes, my lady?"

"You can go without us." A radiant smile. "We will meet you downtown."

"But-"

"We have something important to discuss." The pink-haired immortal asserted gently. "And not to mention that this will be your first time to enter the market, if I am not mistaken?"

The person addressed to, blushed. "Ye-Yes, Lady Sakura."

"Then go," Her flawless hand held out a few golden bolts. "Enjoy yourself."

The reluctant, younger priestess was daunted with that sudden statement. "M-My La-lady?"

"Please." The deity insisted as she placed the expensive baubles in those minute hands. Hinata could not help notice it was forced smile on the lips of her lady. "I shall meet you there with Tenten."

Nearly translucent cream eyes glanced both to her companions. With a nervous nod and a soft thank you, she continued to walk on the road with flushed cheeks, wind-blown short tresses and slowly whipping satin. A silent tension floated for a whole minute as they watched the back of their companion to shrink away from their gaze.

"Sakura." Sea-green eyes rolled at the stern tone of her guardian. "This has to stop."

The strained face she was exuding turned into a little sad smile. "I do not belong there."

"You deserve to be there." The equally tenacious priestess retorted, her fist shaking at her side, as if itching to prove her point. She strode in front of the deity with a determined resolve to convince the young goddess. "You deserve to be the heir to the heavens."

"Do I deserve to be a measly puppet to fulfill such foolish prophesies?" The usually ethereal voice was too constrained to keep the words from trembling. She closed her eyes tightly as she tried to control her temper, which she unfortunately inherited from her mother. It was useless to argue with the only person she can only confide on, yet the advice that she was to give up on her designated fate was inevitable. "Maybe I am useless, Tenten, but I do not want to be used that way."

Chocolate orbs hardened at those words as her troubled mistress walked away from her. "If you are trying to tell me again your plans to escape and live in the _Lupa ng Timawa_, I am afraid I have no time to hear them again." Her leather-sandaled foot proceeded to follow behind the rose-haired deity who began walking towards the road, feigning innocence of what was Tenten reprimanding her for. "I am being redundant but if I have to remind you every time that the mortal world is not wonderful as you think it is--"

"Don't you get it?" Her defeated tone shattered the flow of lectures, the curtain of pink strands shielding her profile from the surprised priestess. "They will find _him_."

"I understand, Sakur-"

"I do not want to be married."

"You do know," There was no use to avoid using this defense to her desperate attempts to escape this duty imposed on her. "That if the heavens fails to find _The Bathala_ and does not copulate with his bride, the three realms will crumble."

The young immortal posture suddenly rigidly straightened and halted her brisk walk.

The stop was enough for Tenten to catch up with the yard her mistress already covered. "I am sorry, my lady."

"I know how important this is for everyone." The whisper from her polished, rose lips was taut. "I beg pardon for my selfishness."

Both females strolled quietly along the dreary, dirt-trodden road with swift winds comfortably whipping their tresses. No one can ever assume by the sound of their footsteps equally matched in pace that each muscle in their jaws were twitching stubbornly.

Finally, as they stood in front of the makeshift-fence of the market. a sigh escaped from the maidservant's roguish, breeze-cut lips.

"We are not going anywhere with this fight, My Lady." Her voice stressed on the name as the lowly guards of this town prostrate their backs before them in reverence. A repentant shake of her brunette head and an amused smile on her dimpled cheeks made the atmosphere shift quickly. "You are here to oblige those prayers, right?"

A soft chuckle from Sakura made the mood more light-hearted. "Hmm, I guess you are right."

A brown lengthy, exquisite, thick shawl was suddenly snatched away from the priestess's grasp immediately. It is a duty for the holy servants to provide their divine mistress any elongated, luxurious cloth to conceal her exposed, gleaming arms, her unearthly visage and the long trail of rose tresses behind her back. However, with the real excited smile on Sakura's face, it already speaks volumes of mischief.

"Now, My Lady," Her voice fades as swift, powerful legs stride to a nearest stall and haggled with a store owner for a beautiful glass artifact. "Be swift!"

* * *

The older female guardian of the young deity merely satisfied herself with the animate expressions of her mistress. It was unusual that a divine, important goddess of the heavens to be able to linger alongside the horde of bustling sweaty humans with their nauseating odor.

It painfully reminded her of someone.

The more she scrutinized the deity's personality, the more she felt anxious of the naive, young girl.

"Mi-miss Te-tenten?"

The nostalgic woman nearly jumped out of her reverie when she heard the shy, hesitant tone.

"Oh, Hinata, It's you."

"I-I have carried th-this for La-Lady _Liwanag_," She spoke rather bashfully. "But can I ask wha-what is our la-lady doing?" Her dainty hands tightened on the small bundle of things that Sakura had bought with frenzy.

"Our dear deity," A growing confusion in her young pale eyes made the auburn-locked female sigh with amused defeat. "always answers the intercessions of her worshippers."

"W-why?" Hinata jogged a little to keep pace with the older priestess (who was trying to keep up with her energetic divine custody).

"It is known in the old days," Tenten lowered her voice, slightly afraid that somebody might overhear their conversation. Tanned arms shifted slightly to accommodate the animal-skin coats that the deity traded for earlier. "Humankind flourished because of the great ball of shining light in the horizons."

"The sky was the hue of the purest sapphire and at night, it was dark as any dyed purple velvet, only tainted with in the golden brush and pearls of the first woman." Hinata widened her mouth in disbelief and surprise, for all of her life, the horizon never changed from its grey, dreary color. The wide expanse of this dull firmament was already that way before she was born. "There was no place that the rays of light could not reach, and for this, many believed that since the sun died, light was reincarnated through the divine line for decades."

"The sun, Miss Tenten?"

"It was called as such as the scriptures deemed."

"So _Lady Liwanag_ is?"

"The sun, the source of all light, is portrayed as a nourishing mother" With an humorous chortle, the oldest priestess finally deposited the heavy things that piled on her arms at an empty wooden crate. "She buys necessities for those poor families who visits at her shrine. The time that _Lady Liwanag _hears their prayers, she gathers them and the unfortunate devotees receive these presents when they return for tomorrow."

The girl smiled gratefully at her senior. "Thank you, Miss Tenten."

"You really do not get out of that forest often."

Hinata blinked at the mock-scolding voice from the older maidservant.

"I-I have duties ba-back then, Miss Tenten." The younger girl arranged the haphazard pile of braided clothes and leaf-wrapped groceries.

"Are you," A sly finger tapped on Hinata's nose. "waiting for that impossible dense fox idiot?"

If Hinata was not holding at that very moment a delicate, fragile gift from her mistress in her hands, she could have tripped unconsciously and broke it into fragments.

"Mi-Mi-Miss Tenten!"

"Young people this days." She grinned wickedly and clucked her tongue.

Intuitions suddenly tingled and noticed something strange at her surroundings.

Distracted dark, brown eyes finally realized that Lady Sakura was missing.

* * *

A youthful, bronze-skinned blonde man was eating cheap noodles while sitting on a lichen-covered boulder. He was facing the scenery of the myriad of woods that surrounded this village, making him an image of someone in absolute peace.

All he could think about beneath his golden mop of hair was why he was here in the first place. It was already been a year since he left his hometown to haul his ass off to train. After along exhausting journey, he finally returned to his native land without caring if anyone would resent his return.

Villagers were skeptical in letting him cross outside Leaf boundaries, but their deity had specifically commanded that he could achieve the status of a **_Mandirigma_**: A warrior trained to offer one's services to the immortals with undying loyalty. So, it there were any objections about the woman's decisions, they would have to prepare themselves from their patron's wrath.

He had been at the market, needing to eat something before setting out towards the other villages. He also kept his blue-clear eye out for a flash of pink or a commotion in order to talk to his mistress. After all, he trained too hard for this, to be inaugurated as the one to serve the Lady _Liwanag_.

It was a tough time with that perverted old geezer. However hard the training might be, the only consolation from the harsh training was that he was powerful enough to make sure that everyone would be safe, kick anyone else's big-busted ass and protect her from those who might hurt her, even if they are the deities, mortals or the Bathala himself.

_'That's why'_, he thought darkly, _'I wanted to know what that arrogant bastard is up to.'_ His teeth chomped on a stray flour-egg strand concoction._ 'He's been reading that strange scroll and asking about her whereabouts. Better I find her before he does.'  
_  
"Naruto!"

He suddenly grinned at her perfect sense of timing.

She was running across the other side of the market when she caught sight of a shiny top amidst the sea of dark-haired heads and multi-colored caps. Her rose petal tresses swayed slightly as the soft wind brushed her cheeks. The dangling coronet on her forehead fluttered along but she still tried to conceal her attention-capturing features with her usual cloth. It took awhile to divert the attention of her maidservants away from her.

"Lady Liwana---AACK!"

"I knew it!" A tinkling laughter followed by a rib-cracking hug from his childhood friend was the least expected, but the most pleasing, welcome he ever encountered.

She was screaming with hilarity and she gripped him with her arms even tighter.

"I knew that STUPID blonde hair anywhere!"

"Sa-saku-saku--RAA!" He managed to breathe out as he nearly choked from broth and saliva.

A startled gasp from the aforementioned deity and a second later, the whiskered foreign-looking boy finally took in some fresh air. "Sorry! I'm sorry!"

It was really a good thing that he finally finished the last noodle strands before she arrived. The earthen, clay bowl cracked beside him as he fell to the ground when the deity released his grip. "It's fine." He wheezed to his nostrils, glad that the appendage was still his useful to him.

The exuberant pink-haired goddess, however, was not yet finished. She fisted her golden-trinket laden hand and crashed it into his skull with so much elation. His sight went blurry, white spots going on and off as she hollered at him gleefully. "You finally inaugurated yourself as a _mandirigma_! You kept on traveling that I almost believed that you were not coming back."

"Of course, I will come back!" He glared at her heatedly, as if offended that she perceived him like that. "I missed everyone!"

"So, _Sir_ Naruto," The pink-haired girl teased, now shifting the topic as she held out a hand to help him to stand. (He was pounded to the ground with that painful punch.) Her voice dropped conspiratorially. "Got something for me?"

"I have the new batch of scrolls." He narrowed his eyes mischievously, reading her mind.

"I stashed them away from the old hermit when he wanted me to test-read it." He began to chat animatedly, his cheeky grin infectious. "I suggest you give that geezer the seventy-fifth scroll first!" He shoved her a sack filled with crackling sounds and protruding paper edges, his movement becoming more and more boisterous as he continued to talk. "It is best one to start off for a day and also for beginners. You can try reading it, Sakura! I'm sure that you will like--"

"Naruto." The blonde warrior halted his train of blubbering words. It was unmistakably a warning growl from the squirming deity, who merely grabbed the sack disdainfully. All of these trouble just to please that crazy, perverted mentor of hers. "We have talked about this, right?"

The boy whooped a chuckle at how amusing Sakura's flushed face can be. (He would not push it though, because an mortified Sakura always turns out to be violent after three seconds) "I have a favor to ask first, can you? Can you?"

"And that is?" A suspicious glance made a nonexistent sweat drip from his forehead.

"Nothing too hard for you!" He rubbed his nose characteristically with a thumb, earning a smile from the goddess. Both of them walked on that deserted road, leading to the distant shrine in the top of the lone hill. "I just want you to check this for me."

Inclining her head forward curiously over his shoulder, Naruto reached inside his orange glaring vest a tattered age-worn paper.

"That is not yours, Naruto."

"Um, yeah?"

Her light jade eyes darkened to viridian. "This is not good."

"I have stolen it from some bastard." His uncomfortable smirking face turned into a grumpy scowl. "He is up to something and I want to know why."

"Hmmm," An index finger under her chin made her look like contemplating if she should honor the favor or not." Who is he, then?"

"The most arrogant, pig-headed and UGLIEST bastard I have ever met." He murmured in one, fast, furious breath.

"Her eyebrows rose in disbelief. "I guess you must have hated this guy." A pale cream hand reached out towards its forlorn edges. "Give it here."

"You are the BEST deity EVER, you DO know that?"

"Just do not over-flatter me." With a careful hand, she traced the different elegant curves and nearly disappearing ink on the withering parchment. Her eyes blazoned in recognition. "This is an ancient tongue."

"Can you translate it right now? You can, right?"

"Be quiet, will you?" She hissed. "Sir Jiraiya was traveling with you. You could have asked him instead!"

"And get a whack for stealing this?" He stubbornly crossed his arms in defiance. "I figured that this was might be something beyond the old pervert."

"Really?" Smiling graciously at Naruto, she tucked the aging scroll inside her sleeves swiftly. "You figured it out on your own?"

"That's cruuuuel..." He sullenly replied.

"I can hardly understand it without any text." She heaved a sigh. "But I will do it."

He smirked proudly. "You knew so much about letters and stuff! I was right to ask you!"

"Fine, fine. Race you to the shrine." she prepared to gather the trailing satin with her ring-covered hands. "Perhaps my priestess, Hinata, is already there with Tenten raging about my absence."

"You made Hinata your WHAT?"

* * *

"This village is such a boring place." The blonde priestess yawned as she stretched her arms from slight exhaustion. She was seated on the middle of the gnawed roots of the acacia tree with a distraught expression. "Without Lady Liwanag, it is certainly so..."

"Uneventful." Chouji supplied, munching on a piece of roasted meat on a stick. "Because there is no free food."

"Aaah! Chouji, this is the SACRED shrine! How many times do I have to tell your fat ass not to eat here?"

"Shut up, Ino." A monotonous drawling voice came from the ground. "If Tenten and the others here you speaking like that..."

"But YOU, Shikamaru, if they saw you sleeping here, you will get yourself kicked in you bu--"

"I am _not_ sleeping." He was lying on the grass, back against the rough grass and palms supporting his head Both of his eyes were closed and his chest peacefully rose as if he were asleep. "This is resting. And you are noisy."

"That girl!" A frustrated sound reached their ears, recognizing it almost immediately. Sure enough, a tumble of russet strands came into view as the woman swiftly walked towards them, bristling with exasperation.

"Mi-Miss Tenten!" The dark-haired companion came afterwards, panting as she reached a placating hand towards the fuming older woman. It was more alarming that the experienced _babaylan_ in front of her was hyperventilating with her nerve swelling twice its size. "Do-do not breath too much, ple-please! S-slow do-down."

But Tenten ignored listening to good advice from the young Hinata. Instead, she glared aggressively to Chouji, who stopped his jaw from closing it from the middle of his bite.

"Eating" her voice trembled with obvious anger, "is prohibited in this sacred place."

"Aah..." Everyone turned to the horizontally-challenged, blinking man. It was plainly not wise to face this priestess when her hands were itching to throw something sharp. This was Chouji grinned and offered the last, luscious meat as retribution for his life. "Want some?"

"That does it."

Tenten slumped herself on the soft bark, sat her bottom on the ground, grabbed the offending roasted barbecue from the elated Chouji. She ate the meat viciously. A second later, she threw the stick to the fence that surrounded their hut.

Ino found this an opportune moment to rant her tirade of complaints against the deity. She pointed to each one of her companions in emphasis. "In all that I have just said, ("Shouted," Shikamaru grumbled), it all adds up that _Lady Liwanag_ is really an immature brat!"

"I agree." There was a melodious reply as sweet as poison.

"Yeah!" The blonde raised a fist in the air from the affirmative reply, taking awhile to register into her mind whose voice it really was. The deafening hush that followed and the comical faces of disbelief made the confirmation of who was the person behind her easier. She turned and met the blazing green orbs and the scowl that adorned her face.

"I am sorry to offend you, my la-"

The deity snorted, loosened the crossed armlet-covered arms in her chest and walked towards her with the straightest facade the goddess can ever manage. "You have done that too many times to be really sorry, piggy human."

"You cannot blame her." Tenten stood up to assist Ino in reprimanding the pink-haired, mule-headed woman. "You are the bride of the most powerful being in this existence! Act what you are supposed to be, _Lady Liwanag_."

"There will be no conversations about this, alright?"

It was already a silent command of not stepping in certain boundaries. Everyone knew that Sakura was annoying the hell out of anyone ever since of her engagement announcement from her relatives. Someone whom she never even laid her eyes upon. Lady Tsunade was lenient with her antics. However fortunate that may be, this could not be said the same to the other deities. This became the reason of her ridicule from the _Alapaap_, which slowly tormented the young girl into seclusion by going to the mortal world more frequently than the goddess was required of.

It did not help when that idiot--_Naruto_--encouraged her.

Sakura sat to the vacated seat with a tired plop on the grass, ignoring the different pairs of eyes that gazed at her anxiously. For a few minutes, the silence stewed for a while. Until the bright smile from Ino and her sudden grasping of her mistress' hands made everyone nearly jump in surprise.

"_Lady Liwanag_," She had this terrifying crazy expression on her grinning face that made rose hairs almost rise from her scalp. "Are you sure about the descriptions of your stalker?"

"Why yes." She nearly stuttered her words, startled with the change of topic. "_Stalker_?"

"STALKER?" A shout and then a yellow, gleaming whirling cyclone (?) came hurtling towards the group sitting underneath the huge tree. This swift movement brought a quick gust of wind, blowing their strands off their faces.

Shikamaru, grass on his head and eyes dully watching the horizons, sighed. "Just what I thought."

"Huh, huh, huh?"

"Na-naruto?" came Hinata from behind the newcomer. They noticed there was something that changed from the infamous prankster of the village. There was a curved sword behind his back, a tattoo of the whiskered cheeks and  
his clothing now identified his as one of the noblemen who served the immortals.

Judging by the way he returned to this village after a long trip from that perverted, narrow-eyed hermit, Naruto probably swore himself as the first warrior to be consecrated to the goddess of light.

"Is that you Hinata?" The brown-skinned young man beamed as he took the new appearance of the new priestess. "You look better than Ino!"

A crimson flush filled her pallid cheeks, pleased with the compliment. ("Stop that, Ino!" Tenten ordered when the female blonde tried to throw a pointy projectile to the subject of her provocation.)

"Anyway, going back to our conversation." Ino took a deep, calming inhalation to soothe her ruffled composure. She suddenly squealed then to ear-splitting decibels. "You just snagged the attention of the HOTTEST, STRONGEST and SEXIEST bachelor in this gorgeous men deprived world."

"Hey, hey, hey! _Lady Liwanag_ as always captured my attention!"

"You missed the whole point, idiot." The deity dropped her voice malevolently. "Ino was talking about that someone..." A quick blush crept up at the bridge of her nose, rivaling Hinata when flustered. "I was taking a bath just this morning when..." Her whole body flamed in embarrassment and tried to suppress it with an angry yell. "Just figure it out Naruto! I do not have to tell the whole story" The deity gritted her teeth as she remembered at how sacrilegious he was, even though he was the first male who ever took her wits away. "I want him to be killed and have that head on a stick."

"You could have capture him at that moment." It was unusual that this peeping tom was alive, escaping her wrath especially in her territory. The springs amplifies her abilities, making it nearly impossible to make oneself get out without any scratch. (He clearly reminisced the stinging sensations on his skin and the rancid taste of blood after being slapped for attempting to venture inside the springs for only a _drink_.)

"A counter spell."

"Eh?"

"I know no ordinary mortal." The slave, who was too eerily brilliant to be classified as a human, continued on. "who is educated enough to do that level except a high-classed _mandirigma _or an immortal himself."

Naruto was not stupid, contrary to what they told him. He knew who he was by the way that noisy blonde reacted to the damn pervert's appearance. It was also Naruto and Shikamaru who only knew who were the people who could counter any spells from deities.

Not to mention that his intuitive senses were clamoring that the bastard followed him. And he might really got into her first.

"Stop those unlikely remarks!" Ino, who was kneeling in front of Sakura and disturbing her mistress with her antics, stood up in defiance for the 'stalker'. "Who are you people to think of him like that? He is a mandirigma! He might just fancied a walk at that time and--"

Tenten spoke while she leaned on the tree, speaking softly against the near screech of her fellow cohort in the job. "A lurking motive always hides in a beautiful face, Ino."

"He does fill up the requirements of being a good husband." A hazy sheen on her aquamarine eyes glimmered, to much dismay of her companions. "All I have to do is make sure that forehead girl does not fall head over heels on him since she already got the Legendary Bathala."

Sakura was going to retort and inflict bodily, unbearable harm to her blonde _babaylan_ when a clap of thunder suddenly disrupted her intended action. The mass of gray clouds gathered in one point far beyond the myriad of trees.

"Heaven calls." Shikamaru grumbled.

"All of you," The young female goddess bristled as she quickly regained her regal self by fixing her windblown tresses with a hand. "Not a word to _Lord Kidlat_, understood?" With no much further delay, her feet suddenly ran towards the other side of the hill, where the densest thicket of woods lay.

* * *

"I am surprised." Although the tone of his voice was nonchalant and the congenial smirk was on his lips, the dark, coal eyes glinted demonically belied his expression. His gleaming platinum tresses swayed on ash-streaked zephyrs, ominous to the flame-ravaged and carnage-painted town. "Have you searched the whole population in this corpses?"

"Yes, Sir Kabuto." Men in dark loincloths and black bandannas in their head, trembled. Dark, unhealthy shadows lingered in their gazes to the grinning young man in front of them. "Although we have not found him, we have a lead on his whereabouts."

"It is really unfortunate." The genial smile did not change. His feet walked past the men, who merely bowed their heads to touch the ground in frightened respect to the man covered in splashes of crimson all over his body. "It is no matter, we can soon get a hold of their trail. Lord Orochimaru would be pleased that we won in this skirmish."

"_The Bathala_, sir?"

"It is no big deal." He nodded amiably, arms cowering in fright as he continued to tread on the path made by these lowly, commanded mortals at his feet. "The heavens are trying to hide his trail, and I try to uncover it. This village," He indicated the scattered, disemboweled corpses, down-trodden spears and wooden debris on the ground. "is just the outcome when they try to stop _Karimlan_."

If things proceed well, the submission of the heavens will be complete.

His face contorted into a triumphant, sinister smirk as he inhaled the scent of burnt flesh in this threshold of blood-curdling cries.

* * *

Finally, an update. XD I have no plan of giving up this story, although I do take a break sometimes and forget to update on time. I am just a busy girl who is trying to keep up with life. 

Questions are welcome and will be answered (if possible.) And please, please, if you saw something to correct or worth notifying just review, alright? Thank you! (And take a shot in guessing who is Sakura's groom?)


	4. Chapter 3: Act I

**Chapter 3**

**Act I**

* * *

The pallid maidservant of _Liwanag_ was inside their homely _nipa_ hut, sitting comfortably on the smooth surface of the wooden planks. Her eyes beheld the beautiful sight of the small village from a distance, even if the shadows of the skies slightly marred the scenery. A fresh breeze blew by the door softly, occasionally caressing her short raven locks. 

Her fingers were busy sewing a blue cotton strip, mending it on her lap with a handmade bone needle that she bought on the market for a reasonable price. It was a real tedious work yet she truly wanted to make this present to serve well.

It has already been two weeks since the last visit of the radiant deity in the shrine. This was unusual, because before the time of her assignation, she frequently caught sight of the deity in the forest taking a pleasurable walk or hurrying over the other side of the small town.

The priestess Tenten, on the other hand, was more relieved of this development. She never knew why the older priestess was even glad of this, when she was the one who is the most concerned about their deity.

Perhaps, she mused as she placed the final stitch in place, it was to avoid Miss Sakura from more trouble. In silence, she agreed to that decision to keep their mistress away for the mean time.

"Anybody home?"

That exuberant, loud voice initiated a series of reactions to poor Hinata. The woman pricked her finger, nearly jumped from her seat and emitted an audible grasp. Instinctively, she stood up quickly to hide her recently finished work. Soon enough, the sound of hammering feet on bamboo stairs reverberated in throughout the whole house.

Cream eyes darted towards the blur of orange and blonde as he came busting from the door with a grin on his face. She took a piercing intake of breath through her mouth and tried to conceal the rush of blood on her face by darting her eyes on the ground.

"I'm glad that you are here!" He suddenly whiffed up a laugh. "Where is that noisy female blonde and haughty killing priestess?"

"T-The village." She could not really help but still stumble over simple words as he was looking so intently on her. When those azure eyes were all focused on her, her mind just swirls in mixed delight and embarrassment. She was also taking into consideration that both of them were on the same room, breathing on the same air and alone.

"I wanted to leave a message" He spoke, scratching the back of his head when he found the certain nervousness floating, from this sudden silence with Hinata.

"Well, its important." He pursued his lips as if to put the situation in grave circumstance.

Hinata blinked at his words. _Important?_

"It's a secret, okay?"

_A secret?_

Her cheeks automatically reddened.

_Naruto trusted her!_

"Tell it to_ Lady Liwanag_ when she arrives, please? I'm going towards the harbor, alright?" He confided with a grin. "Right now, the old perverted hermit is hiding somewhere, so I am better off hunting someone else. If _Lady Liwanag_ comes, tell her that I went there and leave the scroll to a guy named Lee living by the river."

"Lee?"

"I trained with him." He gave a wry grin and a weird expression. "But he has been living off by rowing boats."

"Okay."

She had to do it now! They were here, alone. No one was watching. Except him.

Not trusting her words, she suddenly raised the blue cloth in front of him with a determined set face, her knees trembling with the effort of not to collapse in front of him.

"A bandanna?"

He boisterously boasted to himself that at least he exceeded on that arrogant bastard in some point.

"A girl _just_ gave me a gift! From Hinata!"

"It keeps the hair away from your e-eyes." She smiled softly, implicating her cherub face. "I hope you--" Then she stopped and looked at him gently, as if trying to convey the things she would not say. "--you like it."

"Of course!" His sword-worn hand grabbed her work, carefully settled it on his forehead. Sure enough, the pale strands were away from his clear blue gaze. "Thank you!"

Waving his hand, he finally stepped out of the threshold and said his enthusiastic goodbye to a dumbstruck, extremely flushed ("Huh?") Hinata, who waved back dreamily.

* * *

"Time." A hand blurred to reach swiftly for the hourglass. 

A fast second past, the curved timepiece was turned upside down. "is up!"

The deity of wisdom strode torwards the slumped figure on a very haphazard desk (which reminded her very well of some goddess who was sleeping probably like this as she thought of it). The paper on the middle of its pile though, was neatly written and the object of her perusal as she grabbed it from her pupil.

Onyx eyes scrutinized carefully the minute texts, muttering some comments and nodded approvingly to her. Her pupil, who now stretched sleepily on her perch, waited for the decision with a bored pout on her face.

A minute later, Sakura raised a drowsy eye to her senior. "Mmm? Alright?"

Shizune inhaled a breath and let out the relieved air.

"It is excellent." Sheaves were settled on the fine oak wood when suddenly her student changed its demeanor into a vigilant child asking for a toy.

"Can I go? Go now?" Gleaming olive orbs pleaded as pale rose strands leaned towards her in excitement. "I am finished with all the work. I cleaned up my mess. I am cooped up here for almost a month. And _Lord Kidlat_ would just not let me pass ! So please?" She added to blink in the most convincing manner of innocence.

"I talked with your maids." The dark-haired goddess side stepped to avoid her from pressing that begging expression to her face. "They can handle to cover your duties for the meanwhile."

"What? But that is already the fifth time you used that excuse on me-"

"You need to practice your next practical lesson, My Lady." The older deity merely shook her head in disapproval. "I am sure that they will not summon your presence."

"But Lady Shizune-"

"For the mean time," Shizune weaved her way towards the large doors. "I am called for duty to attend some needs by your mother." Its hinges creaked as she opened it carefully. "Please do not do some mischief while I am away."

"You will know, My Lady!" The younger one merely laughed as the other one disdainfully shook her head in hopelessness.

Silence now permeated the room, making Sakura sigh and stare blankly at the endless ceiling beyond her head. She leaned on her silky seat with hands on her lap and her locks swaying gently with her slow movements.

One jade eye glanced at the sliver of space left by the open door. Shrugging to herself, she stood quietly and made her way towards it with a frown and closed it slowly.

It was not hard to guess why she was not allowed to go back. For this past few weeks,_the Karimlan_ has been taking drastic actions to eliminate their mortal subjects---if not the deities themselves---in this gradually brewing war.

The deity of light, as one of the main goddesses, was in their top priority to be protected. Since her recent visit, there have been too many weird occurrences to the _Lupa ng Timawa._ Villages were slowly deteriorating, with famines and droughts killing mortals one by one. Some of the deities, too afraid to look at these incidents, were now frightened to descend towards the humans.

This made her worry greatly.

Without much careful thinking, she strode again towards the door to ask Shizune one more time.

* * *

Planting rice was always never fun. 

You never have time to sit, stand or even wipe that sweaty brow with a muddy arm. Indeed, the work of a soil toiler was a work of the peasants. They will only gather the fruits of their hard work in exchange for the dirt they inhale to their lungs or the moist soil to nestle in between their toenails.

However exhausting their work might be, the chances to see a beautiful, flaming blond woman passing the sturdy road beside the rice fields was one of its advantages, quickly forgetting the old pessimistic farmer's maxim.

The eye-catching priestess with the most twinkling turquoise irises flashed. Her white robes billowed in elongated trails of pale cotton as her sandals swiftly brushed the rough road. She did not seem to mind the vivid, curious stares of the people beneath the wide straw hats, their eyes only stopping as soon as she reached the small path of dry land situated near the resting place of their farm animals.

The dry land, which the pretty lady reached, was surrounded with a crowd of low- hovering insects. Some of them perched on an inanimate, dead, object: A languid young brunette man lying underneath a guava tree, staring at the gaps in between its sturdy branches.

If she never knew that he was smarter than the _Lazy Juan_ in old childhood stories, her mind could have drifted to think that he was waiting for a fruit to fall right into his mouth.

It could be. He was that lazy. And men could be that stupid too, sometimes.

"Hey, stupid bum!" Ino settled herself to sit beside him dejectedly. "There is nothing exciting in the sky to stare with it, you know?"

When she got no reply, she waved a hand in front of his dazed stare. It did not register any response as his gaze did not even seem to waver.

She was getting impatient. "Shikama-"

"They are less troublesome than you." He grumbled, as if he was obliged to answer.

The grass was too comfortable to leave her seat.

"You are so troublesome yourself, Shikamaru!" With a groan, she also imitated the slave and accepted the risk for grass stains in her white garment. "It was really busy down in the village! There were many sick people asking for cures and guidance that I am beginning to miss that forehea--_Lady Liwanag_ right now."

"Then why are you bothering me?"

"Tenten said she could handle the rest. That woman thinks she can do anything" In a bated sigh, she closed her strained eyes in order to relax them. "Right now, I've got nothing to do."

"Yes, you do." The young man drawled. "You are staying right now here with me."

In a bitter mocking smile, she nearly gave a sarcastic laugh. "That's thrilling."

"Troublesome." In an attempt to bring the atmosphere to its peaceful state earlier, the slave prompted to be quiet. This made the usually talkative female to avoid start her mouth. Fortunately, she got the gist and opted to stare over the floating white precipices on the dull, grey sky.

But that was too good to last. "When do you think Sakura will come back?"

"Who knows? It is much better, I guess." Shikamaru sighed, attempting to cut short the conversation and just preferred to be with a calm blonde priestess even for just one afternoon. "Besides, this means the deity is more protected of demons and peepers."

"But-"

No matter how much you tried, you would never succeed in trying to shut Ino up.

"But I miss her."

* * *

"You call yourselves soldiers?" A small, soft voice was ringing audibly in the air, making a thousand of wounded yet strongly capable young males to cringe in fear. This massive number of pair of eyes followed the flowing mahogany strands of the minute girl walking in front of them. 

The large room, seemingly used for large audiences, was temporarily used for treating male godlings who were wounded from combat. They were slowly recuperating right now from the added terrible defeat they underwent from trying to save another burning village.

But in this moment, their attention was caught when a girl no larger than half of an average man entered. The midget was attractive, but she held such a lethal aura that no one dared to breathe loudly.

Her small face was contorted into obvious disdain as she sheathed slowly a sword coated in soot and mud from some anonymous flabbergasted soldier.

"Do you see this blade?"

No one dared to even move.

Her small hand acidly flicked the blade, twirling deftly on her fingers until the excess crimson fluid splashed on some faces. "I can wield this better than any of you."

"But, my Lady, they were-" The pliant protest, which astonished everyone (except her), was suddenly cut off.

"Did I ask you to speak?"

"Ah, Lady Hanabi?" The short-black haired deity of wisdom finally emerged from attending to the other side of the room. The unwelcome display of the midget's prowess was not good for promoting fast recovery. "I think I can handle the rest."

"And cannot I teach these pathetic souls?" That precocious little shrimp glared at her senior goddess, as if daring her to continue. Shizune always wondered why in all of fates she was chosen to be bullied by all-knowing brats and all-powerful, drunk divinities.

"You are a child, Hanabi." A trained deity of combat, Anko, spoke wearily. She entered through the door in a dark, light-weight armor strapped on her breast and waist that reeked of torn flesh. "Children do not meddle in these matters." Fingers scratched at the back of tied-velvet tresses. "You have not even been in a battlefield."

A feral smirk made way to her lips, too odd to be seen on such an angel-like face.

A cowering shiver froze the spine of everyone as she turned her back away from the gazes.

"You will see, My Lady." They just know that the creepy smile was still on her face. "I do love that color of red on your suit though."

Goddess Tsunade, graciously robed in a lustrous molten gold, materialized from the cream-marble chamber walls. Everyone almost jumped out of their places at her loud, cackling laughter that bounced off the walls. The dark honey eyes crinkled in amusement at the midget-deity.

"You are still scaring these poor people out of their wits?"

"I am merely speaking the truth, My Lady." The petite woman merely inclined her head in respect for the highest divinity. Without any further delay, she retreated towards the silver coated doors that ends the circular expanse of the room. "I am going to replace that impertinent general, anyway."

As if on cue, the doors opened majestically and a busy reading Kakashi stood over the doorway.

"Move over, old pervert."

As if suddenly aware of the child's presence, Closing his much beloved decent literature, he moved sideways and gestured his hand with a flourish for her to come through. "Of course, have a nice day, my charming lady."

A collective sigh of relief was out since the dark-haired midget was out of the premises. The leader of troops clucked her tongue and muttered unnecessary curse names along with the lines of 'little shrimp'.

It made almost all of the god lings to gaze nervously at the path that the girl just exited earlier and _The Kidlat_ to pat the insulted grown woman with "She's just a kid, you now?"

"Don't mind that, Anko." _The Karunungan_ laughed a little too anxiously to pacify any signs of treacherous fight that might ensue. "She's a talented genius, after all."

"She is still a brat." Anko only replied bitterly beneath her breath.

Tsunade merely shook her head, a disbelieving smile on her face.

"Besides," The violet tresses now swayed slightly as she turned to the queen of heavens. "The child did not know who we were dealing with. The demon of stealth was leading this army we fought."

"His right hand?"

Shizune was too absorbed in the conversation when she suddenly realized a crucial thing.

"Lady Tsunade, what are you doing HERE?" The frenzied deity exclaimed frantically. "You are supposed to be doing that work!"

"That thick-hided snake is really striking when the iron is hot." The goddess continued, blatantly ignoring the panicked stuttering of her trusted deity.

"We must find him soon. If not, everything will be under the reach of that freaky tongue." Her sharp-nailed hands cupped her chin in contemplation. "Kakashi?"

"We have no progress in the search, Your Highness."

"Lady Tsunade, Please go back now! You have too many things that--"

"By the way, Shizune." Now the woman spoke with an unmistaken authority in her voice. "My daughter might not return in the Lupa ng Timawa for the mean time."

"She is getting restless." The right-hand deity of the Lady spoke disappointedly. "We must let her go even for an hour or so to check her friends, Your Majes-"

"No, we cannot, Lady Shizune." Anko spoke with her eyes furrowing together. "It is for our bride to be protected. She needs to be safe in all cost for the _Bathala_."

"But--"

"Shizune." The Goddess has spoken and Shizune kept her tongue in place. "For now, that will be my decision."

They have not noticed that small gap in the door, where a lone wide jade eye watched silently.

* * *

The first scene with Naruto and Hinata is one of the methods of courtship in_ Prehispanic era_ (especially on the North). 

When a warrior is courting a woman in marriage, he must pierce the wooden stairs (or the soil before it) with his spear before going up to the house of the maiden. That is why Hinata kept on blushing when Naruto came up the stairs swiftly, which was forbidden back then when the lady was alone in the house. (She forgot the spear-piercing part.).

_Lazy Juan_ is an old folktale that used to tell children about Juan and his misadventures due to his supreme indolence. One of the most memorable was when he saw a guava fruit on a tree. Too lazy to climb up the tree to acquire said fruit, he slept underneath the shade with his mouth open to wait for it. And you know that it isn't healthy to sleep with your mouth open because many nasty things will attract it. XD

I'm sorry if this took a while to update. The reason was, my old files were deleted. So I could not do anything but search for the old papers where I first wrote **Myth.** (I found it somewhere there are cobwebs and such). Let this be a present for Christmas, alright?


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